Gone are the days of traditional Online Marketing and good riddance I say! When I first started in this industry(14 years ago) we were forced to use a series of ESPs, Softwares and additional Marketing and IT/Dev resources to accomplish the mission.

This was a handicap as I would spend hours scoping projects with Business Owners followed by developing the strategy, sharpening the Marketing messages, creating email campaigns and A/B tests, updating website content, updating social media sites, ensuring metric tracking was in place, all the while managing each of relationships with the service providers and learning all of their intricacies. The task was dizzying and often left me with an empty feeling of did I forget something? I did not like this feeling….

Segue…

So what is all this about and what the heck is Marketing Automation? According to wikipedia, “Marketing automation refers to software platforms and technologies designed for marketing departments and organizations to more effectively market on multiple channels online (such as email, social media, websites, etc.) and automate repetitive tasks.”

With Marketing Automation, things have changed and have done so for the better. I still spend the same amount of time preparing for each campaign but they are now executed in a symphony like harmony of awesomeness with sincere thanks to platforms like Hubspot, Marketo, Pardot who make life much easier to Marketing Departments and IT Teams.

I actually piloted Hubspot in 2007 before they even offered email services. The Hubspot experience was wildly successful as I was able to do several tasks from one platform, namely track Social reach, Blog, CMS like Web builder(did not use) and SEO best practices. I soon realized the ramifications were huge as I was saving time by working in one platform which was a significant advantage at the time, now the services are full-blown powerhouses of capability offering the full gamut of Marketing service, if you can think it up, it can be automated, for the most part anyway.

But…..Caveat emptor……

Don’t let me fool you. These marketing functions are still very complicated, as you need to become an expert in each SaaS providers suite of offerings and how they handle their processes, like customer support, APIs and a myriad of implementation and on-boarding issues.

The reality is that nothing worthwhile is ever easy and this will play true as you identify and configure all the variables found along your unique customer journey. You must understand everything about your customer and also your back office processes to truly realize the benefits that Marketing Automation can offer your consumer and support/operational touch points in this OMNI channel world we live.

All that glitters is not gold….so what’s the downside?

You got it…it’s mostly cost but it’s also implementation and product learning curve. Depending on your goals, you will likely need a sizeable budget to get in the game, but once you are in the game and if you have good people, the upside is huge.

You will also need to get training on the platforms and there will be a learning curve, how steep depends on your team’s capabilities and expertise. Costs go up if you need certain expertise, but as with any investment there are risks, but the boost to your productivity will offset them shortly after implementation depending on your industry, etc…You’ll get the whitepaper if you inquire with any of the big three I mentioned above.

At the end of the day, if you stop and weigh the cost of Marketing Automation against all of your existing vendors, developers, contracts, etc., then look at your SG&A, you’ll find there can be attractive alternatives to the grind it out struggle that Online Marketing is without automation. You won’t regret exploring it either way and I implore you to do so!

And with that I leave you with my latest Trap mix….but don’t worry I will continue to write on this subject in upcoming articles as it has impacted my day to day life as an Online Marketer and Website Developer in ways I am still discovering.

Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is no longer a buzz word, it’s a requirement for any business large or small that owns a website. Why is it so important you ask? It’s so important because more people are using the Internet as a preferred medium for finding and purchasing what they are searching for. Quite simply, if you’re not found in the search results for customers looking for your products, you will find it very difficult to leverage your website.

In order for your product or service to be found, you need to not only have a website, but it needs to be “Optimized” so Search Engines can find and index your websites content. To give you an idea of how the proliferation of the internet is changing the way people get information, the following list* explains the daily/monthly distribution through these common media channels:

With 14 Billion searches being performed every month, the time is now to make sure you are visible when a search is performed for your services or products. SEO is also the most effective online method for generating conversions because when someone searches for something and when they find your page, you have now entered the mind of your customer and provided them with what they were looking for. Customers like this and as a result they are more inclined to contact you for more information or simply purchase your product on-line.

Now that you know why SEO is so important my next article will explain how SEO works and how it can save you oodles of money!

My name is Sean Partridge

and I’m a Director of Marketing Operations,Search Engine Optimizer and Content Management System expert.

With over 17 years working in all aspects of website development, I’ve been a valuable asset for my clients, as I offer far more than just technical services, I can consult you on where you need to allocate your marketing spend, provide reporting and use data to drive your decisions, who has time to guess when sales are on the line?

For more information on services and pricing, please contact me and I will tailor a proposal unique to your business and budget.